The subject-specificity of teacher self-efficacy
More and more studies in educational research are devoted to the topic of teacher self-efficacy. The focus is usually on the question of which characteristics, such as job satisfaction or commitment, are related to teacher self-efficacy and how strong this relationship is. Some meta-analyses or systematic reviews also already provide an overview of the topic (e.g., Aloe et al., 2014; Kim & Seo, 2018; Zee & Koomen, 2016).
In this regard, while self-efficacy is certainly considered a domain- or subject-specific construct, it is not clear to what extent previous studies (primary studies or meta-analyses) have actually captured self-efficacy in teachers in a subject-specific manner and also measured the respective dependent variable in a subject-specific manner. When variables are measured subject-specifically and not globally, stronger relationships between teachers' self-efficacy and other characteristics can generally be observed.
In this thesis, therefore, you will analyze existing studies on associations of teacher self-efficacy with other characteristics. In doing so, you take an equal look at the independent and dependent variables of the studies. The central question is how the measurement of the variables has been operationalized; specifically, to what extent has research on teacher self-efficacy so far taken into account the subject-specificity of the construct teacher self-efficacy, and which subjects, if any, have been underrepresented so far?
By systematically analyzing existing studies, this thesis will enable you to engage with research on teacher self-efficacy at a meta-level. In doing so, you will contribute directly to the research of the Professorship for Research on Learning and Instruction at the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology.
Interested?
Then we look forward to hearing from you via e-mail at:
janina.taeschner@tum.de